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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Vatican City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Pope's message for the 23rd World Day of the Sick 2015 begins
with a phrase from the Book of Job: “I was eyes to the blind, and
feet to the lame”, explained from the perspective of “sapientia
cordis”, the wisdom of the heart that “is not theoretical,
abstract knowledge, the product of reasoning”, Pope Francis
remarked, but rather “a way of seeing things infused by the Holy
Spirit in the minds and hearts of those who are sensitive to the
sufferings of their brothers and sisters and who can see in them the
image of God”.

World Day of the Sick, instituted by
St. John Paul II in 1992, is held on 11 February, feast day of the
Virgin of Lourdes. The full text of the Message is published below:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this, the twenty-third World Day of
the Sick, begun by Saint John Paul II, I turn to all of you who are
burdened by illness and are united in various ways to the flesh of
the suffering Christ, as well as to you, professionals and volunteers
in the field of health care.

This year’s theme invites us to
reflect on a phrase from the Book of Job: 'I was eyes to the blind,
and feet to the lame'. I would like to consider this phrase from the
perspective of 'sapientia cordis' – the wisdom of the heart.

1. This 'wisdom' is not theoretical,
abstract knowledge, the product of reasoning. Rather, it is, as Saint
James describes it in his Letter, 'pure, then peaceable, gentle, open
to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or
insincerity'. It is a way of seeing things infused by the Holy Spirit
in the minds and the hearts of those who are sensitive to the
sufferings of their brothers and sisters and who can see in them the
image of God. So let us take up the prayer of the Psalmist: 'Teach us
to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom'. This
'sapientia cordis', which is a gift of God, is a compendium of the
fruits of the World Day of the Sick.

2. Wisdom of the heart means serving
our brothers and sisters. Job’s words: 'I was eyes to the blind,
and feet to the lame', point to the service which this just man, who
enjoyed a certain authority and a position of importance amongst the
elders of his city, offered to those in need. His moral grandeur
found expression in the help he gave to the poor who sought his help
and in his care for orphans and widows.

Today too, how many Christians show,
not by their words but by lives rooted in a genuine faith, that they
are 'eyes to the blind' and 'feet to the lame'! They are close to the
sick in need of constant care and help in washing, dressing and
eating. This service, especially when it is protracted, can become
tiring and burdensome. It is relatively easy to help someone for a
few days but it is difficult to look after a person for months or
even years, in some cases when he or she is no longer capable of
expressing gratitude. And yet, what a great path of sanctification
this is! In those difficult moments we can rely in a special way on
the closeness of the Lord, and we become a special means of support
for the Church’s mission.

3. Wisdom of the heart means being with
our brothers and sisters. Time spent with the sick is holy time. It
is a way of praising God who conforms us to the image of his Son, who
'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many'. Jesus himself said: 'I am among you as one who serves'.

With lively faith let us ask the Holy
Spirit to grant us the grace to appreciate the value of our often
unspoken willingness to spend time with these sisters and brothers
who, thanks to our closeness and affection, feel more loved and
comforted. How great a lie, on the other hand, lurks behind certain
phrases which so insist on the importance of 'quality of life' that
they make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not
worth living!

4. Wisdom of the heart means going
forth from ourselves towards our brothers and sisters. Occasionally
our world forgets the special value of time spent at the bedside of
the sick, since we are in such a rush; caught up as we are in a
frenzy of doing, of producing, we forget about giving ourselves
freely, taking care of others, being responsible for others. Behind
this attitude there is often a lukewarm faith which has forgotten the
Lord’s words: 'You did it unto me’.

For this reason, I would like once
again to stress 'the absolute priority of “going forth from
ourselves toward our brothers and sisters” as one of the two great
commandments which ground every moral norm and as the clearest sign
for discerning spiritual growth in response to God’s completely
free gift'. The missionary nature of the Church is the wellspring of
an 'effective charity and a compassion which understands, assists and
promotes'.

5. Wisdom of the heart means showing
solidarity with our brothers and sisters while not judging them.
Charity takes time. Time to care for the sick and time to visit them.
Time to be at their side like Job’s friends: 'And they sat with him
on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to
him, for they saw that his suffering was very great'. Yet Job’s
friends harboured a judgement against him: they thought that Job’s
misfortune was a punishment from God for his sins. True charity is a
sharing which does not judge, which does not demand the conversion of
others; it is free of that false humility which, deep down, seeks
praise and is self-satisfied about whatever good it does.

Job’s experience of suffering finds
its genuine response only in the cross of Jesus, the supreme act of
God’s solidarity with us, completely free and abounding in mercy.
This response of love to the drama of human pain, especially innocent
suffering, remains for ever impressed on the body of the risen
Christ; his glorious wounds are a scandal for faith but also the
proof of faith.

Even when illness, loneliness and
inability make it hard for us to reach out to others, the experience
of suffering can become a privileged means of transmitting grace and
a source for gaining and growing in “sapientia cordis”. We come
to understand how Job, at the end of his experience, could say to
God: 'I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye
sees you'. People immersed in the mystery of suffering and pain, when
they accept these in faith, can themselves become living witnesses of
a faith capable of embracing suffering, even without being able to
understand its full meaning.

6. I entrust this World Day of the Sick
to the maternal protection of Mary, who conceived and gave birth to
Wisdom incarnate: Jesus Christ, our Lord.

O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, intercede as
our Mother for all the sick and for those who care for them! Grant
that, through our service of our suffering neighbours, and through
the experience of suffering itself, we may receive and cultivate true
wisdom of heart!

Vatican City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father's universal prayer intention for January 2015 is:
“That those from diverse religious traditions and all people of
good will may work together for peace”.

His intention for evangelisation is:
“That in this year dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and
women may rediscover the joy of following Christ and strive to serve
the poor with zeal”.

Vatican City, 30 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has appointed Fr. John Saw Yaw Han as auxiliary of
the archdiocese of Yangon (area 47,192, population 14,620,000,
Catholics 69,120, priests 102, religious 438), Myanmar. The
bishop-elect was born in Homalim, Myanmar in 1968 and was ordained a
priest in 1995. He studied philosophy and theology at the St. Joseph
national major seminary, and has served in a number of roles,
including missionary “fidei donum” in the diocese of Kentung,
lecturer in philosophy at the national major seminary in Mandalay;
assistant at the St. Lazarus Church in Insein and St. Mary's
Cathedral in Yangon; lecturer in theology at the national major
seminary in Yangon; and rector at the minor seminary of Bago. He is
currently rector of the national major seminary in Yangon.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Vatican City, 29 December 2014 (VIS) –
Pompeii will be the first port of call on Pope Francis' trip to the
Italian region of Campania. On 21 March the Holy Father will begin
his pilgrimage to Naples, starting from the statue dedicated to the
Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii, according to the prelate archbishop
and pontifical delegate of the shrine, Tommaso Caputo, who added that
the Pope's visit constitutes an event of extraordinary ecclesial
importance.

“The filial and tender Marian
devotion that the Pope continues to show is also at the root of the
Church of Pompeii's strong commitment towards the humblest and
neediest among us”, explained the prelate. “Today, more than ever
before, the motivating forces of charity, intimately linked to the
needs of justice and respect for the dignity of every person, are
strongly felt. Aside from our joy for his visit, we hope that Pope
Francis will show us the path to take to be even closer to and more
united with our people”.

St. John Paul II also visited Pompeii
on 21 October 1979, during his visit to Naples, and he returned there
on 7 October 2003 for the conclusion of the Year of the Rosary.
Benedict XVI also visited the shrine, again during the month of the
Rosary, October 2008.

Vatican City, 29 December 2014 (VIS) –
In a communique published today, the Prefecture of the Papal
Household reports that during the year 2014, more than 5,900,000
faithful participated in the various encounters with Pope Francis:
audiences, both general (1,199,000) and special (567,100); liturgical
celebrations in the Vatican Basilica and St. Peter's Square
(1,110,700), and the Angelus and Regina Coeli (3,040,000). These data
refer only to the encounters that took place in the Vatican and do
not include other activities that involved a high level of
participation among the faithful, such as the apostolic trips to the
Republic of Korea, Turkey or the Holy Land, or the various trips in
Italy and visits within the diocese of Rome. The total number of
faithful involved in the Vatican events is estimated at 5,916,800.

The Prefecture of the Papal Household
reiterates that these are approximate data, calculated on the basis
of requests for attendance at events and the invitations distributed
by the Prefecture. Similarly, the data regarding participation in the
Angelus and large celebrations in St. Peter's Square are based on
estimates.

Vatican City, 28 December 2014 (VIS) –
“Jesus brings the generations together”, affirmed Pope Francis,
addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square today for the
midday Angelus. The Gospel reading narrated the episode of the
Presentation in the Temple, when Mary and Joseph, forty days after
Jesus' birth, take Him to the temple in Jerusalem, in obedience to
the Law of Moses. There, they meet the elderly people Simeon and
Anna.

“We can imagine this little family,
in the midst of so many people, in the great courtyard of the temple.
They do not stand out, they are not distinguished. However”,
observed the Holy Father, “they do not go unnoticed. Two elderly
people, Simeon and Anna, moved by the Holy Spirit, approach them and
praise God for that Child, in Whom they recognise the Messiah, the
light of the peoples and the salvation of Israel. It is a simple
moment, yet rich in prophecy: the meeting between a young couple full
of joy and faith by the grace of the Lord, and two elderly people
also full of joy and faith by the action of the Spirit. Who brings
them together? Jesus. Jesus brings about the encounter between the
young and the elderly. Jesus is the One who brings the generations
together. He is the source of that love that unites families and
people, overcoming all distrust, all isolation, every distance. …
Good relations between the young and the elderly are fundamental to
the path of civil and ecclesial community. Looking at these two
elderly people, Simeon and Anna, we greet with applause all the
grandparents in the world”, exclaimed Francis.

“The message that comes from the Holy
Family is above all a message of faith”, he continued. “This is
why the family of Nazareth is holy. Why? Because it is centred on
Jesus. When parents and children breathe together the same climate of
faith, they possess an energy that allows them to face difficult
trials, as shown by the experience of the Holy Family, for example,
during the dramatic events of the flight into Egypt”.

The child Jesus with his mother Mary
and St. Joseph are the icon of the family, simple yet illuminating.
The light they radiate is a light of mercy and salvation for the
whole world, a light of truth for every man, for the human family. …
The light that comes from the Holy Family encourages us to offer
human warmth in those family situations that, for various reasons,
lack peace, harmony or forgiveness. Our concrete solidarity is not
lacking, especially in relation to those families who experience
difficult situations such as sickness, unemployment, discrimination,
or the need to migrate”. He concluded by asking those present to
pray a moment in silence for these families.

Following the Angelus prayer, the Pope
mentioned the passengers on the aircraft that disappeared in flight
between Indonesia and Singapore, and those on the ferry that caught
fire in the Adriatic Sea. "I am close, with affection and
prayer, to the relatives of the victims, those who are living through
these difficult situations with anxiety and suffering, and those
involved in the rescue operations”.

Vatican City, 28 December 2014 (VIS) –
On the feast day of the Holy Family, Pope Francis received in the
Vatican's Paul VI Hall a group of large Italian families, present in
Rome for to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Associazione
Nazionale Famiglie Numerose (National Association for Large
Families). The audience was also attended by families from other
countries throughout Europe.

“You have come here with the most
beautiful fruits of your love. Maternity and paternity are gifts from
God, your task is to receive this gift, to be amazed by its beauty
and to let it shine in society. Each one of your children is a unique
creation that will never be repeated in the history of humanity. When
we understand this, that each person is willed by God, we are
astonished by the great miracle that is a child”.

“And you, boys and girls”, he
continued, addressing the children present, “are precisely this:
each one of you is the unique fruit of love, you come from love and
grow in love. You are unique, but you are not alone. And the fact of
having brothers and sisters is good for you: the sons and daughters
of large families are more inclined to fraternal communion from early
childhood. In a world that is frequently marked by selfishness, the
large family is a school of solidarity and sharing; and these
attitudes are of benefit to all society”.

“You, children and young people, are
the fruit of the tree that is the family: you are good fruit when the
tree has good roots – grandparents – and a good trunk – the
parents. … The presence of large families is a hope for society.
This is why the presence of grandparents is very important: a
valuable presence both in terms of practical assistance, but above
all for their contribution to education. Grandparents conserve the
values of a people, of a family, and they help parents transmit them
to their children. Throughout the last century, in many countries in
Europe, it was the grandparents who transmitted faith”.

“Dear parents, thank you for your
example of love for life that you protect from conception to its
natural end, in spite of all the difficulties and burdens of life,
that unfortunately public institutions do not always help you to
bear. … Every family is a cell of society, but the large family is
a richer, more vital cell, and the state has much to gain by
investing in it”, Francis remarked. He concluded by praying for
those families who are most affected by the economic crisis, those in
which the mother or father have lost their jobs and in which the
young are unable to find work, and those families in which the
closest relationships are marked by suffering and who are tempted to
give in to loneliness and separation”.

Vatican City, 2 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolences to the Prepositor
General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas Pachon, for the
death in Tokyo, Japan of Archbishop Giuseppe Pittau, S.J., former
secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, at the age of
86.

The Pope describes the archbishop as an
“exemplary minister of God, who lived for the cause of the Gospel”
and underlines his “generous missionary apostleship” in Japan,
where his earthly existence came to an end. He also gives thanks to
the Lord for the service Archbishop Pittau rendered to the Apostolic
See as Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, for his
commitment as rector of the Sophia University of Tokyo, and as
Magnificent Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, as
well as for his devotion to the Society of Jesus. The Pope entrusts
the soul of the departed to the maternal intercession of the Virgin
Mary, “in the light of Christ's resurrection”, and imparts an
apostolic blessing to those who mourn the late archbishop's passing.

Vatican City, 29 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Angel Javier Perez Pueyo as bishop
of Barbastro-Monzon (area 8,321, population 101,320, Catholics
95,127, priests 96, permanent deacons 3, religious 171), Spain. The
bishop-elect was born in Ejea de los Caballeros, Spain in 1955 and
was ordained a priest in 1980. He holds a licentiate in philosophy
and science of education from the Civil University of Salamanca,
Spain. He has served in a number of roles, including formator and
professor in the seminaries of Tarragona and Salmanca and member of
the Central Council of the Fraternity of Working Diocesan Priests and
pastoral coordinator of the same Fraternity. He has collaborated in
courses for formators in various seminaries in Latin America and in
those organised by the Episcopal Commission of Seminaries of the
Spanish Episcopal Conference. He is currently rector of the “San
Jose” Pontifical Spanish College in Rome. He succeeds Bishop
Alfonso Milian Sorribas, whose resignation from the pastoral care of
the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy
Father.

Vatican City, 24 December 2014 (VIS) –
This evening at 10 p.m. the Holy Father celebrated Midnight Mass on
the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, 2014. During the
Eucharistic celebration, following the reading of the Holy Gospel,
Pope Francis pronounced the following homily:

“'The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined'. 'An angel of the Lord appeared to [the
shepherds] and the glory of the Lord shone around them'. This is how
the liturgy of this holy Christmas night presents to us the birth of
the Saviour: as the light which pierces and dispels the deepest
darkness. The presence of the Lord in the midst of his people cancels
the sorrow of defeat and the misery of slavery, and ushers in joy and
happiness.

“We too, in this blessed night, have
come to the house of God. We have passed through the darkness which
envelops the earth, guided by the flame of faith which illuminates
our steps, and enlivened by the hope of finding the 'great light'. By
opening our hearts, we also can contemplate the miracle of that
child-sun who, arising from on high, illuminates the horizon.

“The origin of the darkness which
envelops the world is lost in the night of the ages. Let us think
back to that dark moment when the first crime of humanity was
committed, when the hand of Cain, blinded by envy, killed his brother
Abel. As a result, the unfolding of the centuries has been marked by
violence, wars, hatred and oppression. But God, who placed a sense of
expectation within man made in his image and likeness, was waiting.
God was waiting. He waited for so long that perhaps at a certain
point it seemed he should have given up. But he could not give up
because he could not deny himself. Therefore he continued to wait
patiently in the face of the corruption of man and peoples. The
patience of God. How difficult it is to comprehend this: God’s
patience towards us.

“Through the course of history, the
light that shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and
that his patient fidelity is stronger than darkness and corruption.
This is the message of Christmas night. God does not know outbursts
of anger or impatience; he is always there, like the father in the
parable of the prodigal son, waiting to catch from afar a glimpse of
the lost son as he returns; and every day, with patience. The
patience of God.

“Isaiah’s prophecy announces the
rising of a great light which breaks through the night. This light
is born in Bethlehem and is welcomed by the loving arms of Mary, by
the love of Joseph, by the wonder of the shepherds. When the angels
announced the birth of the Redeemer to the shepherds, they did so
with these words: 'This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby
wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger'. The 'sign' is in
fact the humility of God, the humility of God taken to the extreme;
it is the love with which, that night, he assumed our frailty, our
suffering, our anxieties, our desires and our limitations. The
message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for
in the depths of their souls, was none other than the tenderness of
God: God who looks upon us with eyes full of love, who accepts our
poverty, God who is in love with our smallness.

“On this holy night, while we
contemplate the Infant Jesus just born and placed in the manger, we
are invited to reflect. How do we welcome the tenderness of God? Do I
allow myself to be taken up by God, to be embraced by him, or do I
prevent him from drawing close? 'But I am searching for the Lord' –
we could respond. Nevertheless, what is most important is not seeking
him, but rather allowing him to seek me, find me and caress me with
tenderness. The question put to us simply by the Infant’s presence
is: do I allow God to love me?

“More so, do we have the courage to
welcome with tenderness the difficulties and problems of those who
are near to us, or do we prefer impersonal solutions, perhaps
effective but devoid of the warmth of the Gospel? How much the world
needs tenderness today! The patience of God, the closeness of God,
the tenderness of God.

“The Christian response cannot be
different from God’s response to our smallness. Life must be met
with goodness, with meekness. When we realise that God is in love
with our smallness, that he made himself small in order to better
encounter us, we cannot help but open our hearts to him, and beseech
him: 'Lord, help me to be like you, give me the grace of tenderness
in the most difficult circumstances of life, give me the grace of
closeness in the face of every need, of meekness in every conflict'.

“'Dear brothers and sisters, on this
holy night we contemplate the Nativity scene: there “the people who
walked in darkness have seen a great light'. People who were
unassuming, people open to receiving the gift of God, were the ones
who saw this light. This light was not seen, however, by the
arrogant, the proud, by those who made laws according to their own
personal measures, who were closed off to others. Let us look to the
crib and pray, asking the Blessed Mother: 'O Mary, show us Jesus!'”.

Vatican City, 25 December 2014 (VIS) –
At midday today, the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Pope
gave his traditional Christmas message from the central balcony of
the Vatican Basilica and imparted the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing.

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy
Christmas!

“Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour
of the world, is born for us, born in Bethlehem of a Virgin,
fulfilling the ancient prophecies. The Virgin’s name is Mary, the
wife of Joseph.

“Humble people, full of hope in the
goodness of God, are those who welcome Jesus and recognise him. And
so the Holy Spirit enlightened the shepherds of Bethlehem, who
hastened to the grotto and adored the Child. Then the Spirit led the
elderly and humble couple Simeon and Anna into the temple of
Jerusalem, and they recognised in Jesus the Messiah. 'My eyes have
seen your salvation', Simeon exclaimed, 'the salvation prepared by
God in the sight of all peoples'.

“Yes, brothers and sisters, Jesus is
the salvation for every person and for every people!

Today I ask him, the Saviour of the
world, to look upon our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria, who
for too long now have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict, and
who, together with those belonging to other ethnic and religious
groups, are suffering a brutal persecution. May Christmas bring them
hope, as indeed also to the many displaced persons, exiles and
refugees, children, adults and elderly, from this region and from the
whole world. May indifference be changed into closeness and rejection
into hospitality, so that all who now are suffering may receive the
necessary humanitarian help to overcome the rigours of winter, return
to their countries and live with dignity. May the Lord open hearts to
trust, and may he bestow his peace upon the whole Middle East,
beginning with the land blessed by his birth, thereby sustaining the
efforts of those committed effectively to dialogue between Israelis
and Palestinians.

“May Jesus, Saviour of the world,
protect all who suffer in Ukraine, and grant that their beloved land
may overcome tensions, conquer hatred and violence, and set out on a
new journey of fraternity and reconciliation.

“May Christ the Saviour give peace to
Nigeria, where more blood is being shed and too many people are
unjustly deprived of their possessions, held as hostages or killed. I
invoke peace also on the other parts of the African continent,
thinking especially of Libya, South Sudan, the Central African
Republic, and various regions of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. I beseech all who have political responsibility to commit
themselves through dialogue to overcoming differences and to building
a lasting, fraternal coexistence.

“May Jesus save the vast numbers of
children who are victims of violence, made objects of trade and
trafficking, or forced to become soldiers; children, so many abused
children. May he give comfort to the families of the children killed
in Pakistan last week. May he be close to all who suffer from
illness, especially the victims of the Ebola epidemic, above all in
Liberia, in Sierra Leone and in Guinea. As I thank all who are
courageously dedicated to assisting the sick and their family
members, I once more make an urgent appeal that the necessary
assistance and treatment be provided.

“The Child Jesus. My thoughts turn to
all those children today who are killed and ill-treated, be they
infants killed in the womb, deprived of that generous love of their
parents and then buried in the egoism of a culture that does not love
life; be they children displaced due to war and persecution, abused
and taken advantage of before our very eyes and our complicit
silence. I think also of those infants massacred in bomb attacks,
also those where the Son of God was born. Even today, their impotent
silence cries out under the sword of so many Herods. On their blood
stands the shadow of contemporary Herods. Truly there are so many
tears this Christmas, together with the tears of the Infant Jesus.

“Dear brothers and sisters, may the
Holy Spirit today enlighten our hearts, that we may recognise in the
Infant Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, the salvation
given by God to each one of us, to each man and woman and to all the
peoples of the earth. May the power of Christ, which brings freedom
and service, be felt in so many hearts afflicted by war, persecution
and slavery. May this divine power, by its meekness, take away the
hardness of heart of so many men and women immersed in worldliness
and indifference, the globalisation of indifference. May his
redeeming strength transform arms into ploughshares, destruction into
creativity, hatred into love and tenderness. Then we will be able to
cry out with joy: 'Our eyes have seen your salvation'.

Vatican City, 26 December 2014 (VIS) –
At midday the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the
Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and
pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer,
the Pontiff gave a brief address to those present, on the subject of
coherence with faith.

“The Gospel of this feast day shows a
part of Jesus’ discourse to his disciples in the moment in which He
sends them on their mission. Among other things, He says, 'You will
be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end
will be saved'. These words of the Lord do not disrupt the
celebration of Christmas, but strip it of that false
saccharine-sweetness that does not belong to it. It makes us
understand that in the trials accepted on account of the faith,
violence is overcome by love, death by life. To truly welcome Jesus
in our existence, and to prolong the joy of the Holy Night, the path
is precisely the one indicated in this Gospel: that is, to bear
witness in humility, in silent service, without fear of going against
the current, able to pay in person. While not all of us are called,
as St. Stephen was, to shed their own blood, every Christian is
nonetheless required in every circumstance to lead a life coherent
with the faith he or she professes. Christian integrity is a grace
that we must ask of the Lord. To be coherent, to live as Christians
rather than merely saying, 'I am Christian' while living like a
pagan. Coherence is a grace we must ask for today”.

Francis explained that following the
Gospel is a “demanding but beautiful path, and those who follow it
with devotion and courage receive the gift promised by the Lord to
men and women of goodwill”. He asked those present to pray “in a
special way for those who are discriminated against, persecuted and
killed for their witness of Christ … so that due to the sacrifice
of these latter-day martyrs, of whom there are many, the commitment
to recognising and guaranteeing religious freedom, an inalienable
right of every human being, may be reinforced in every part of the
world”.

After the Angelus prayer, the Pope
conveyed his wishes for peace to all those present and prayed to St.
Stephen for the grace of Christian coherence: “thinking, feeling
and living as a Christian, not thinking as a Christian and living as
a pagan”.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Vatican City, 23 December 2014 (VIS) –
Pope Francis has written a letter to Christians in the Middle East to
mark the occasion of Christmas, aware that for many of them “the
music of [their] Christmas hymns will also be accompanied by tears
and sighs”. The Holy Father comments on the conflicts that continue
to afflict a part of the world that has long experienced trials and
tribulations, and that is now further tormented by terrorism on an
unprecedented scale “which has perpetrated all kinds of abuses and
inhuman acts”, compelling other ethnic and religious groups to
abandon their homelands where they have “the duty and the right to
take full part in the life and progress” of their nations. He also
underlines the central role of Christians in the East in the life of
the Church, which needs the support and prayer of all the ecclesial
community, and he launches a renewed appeal to the international
community to promote a global solution to the problems of the region.
“How much longer”, he asks, “must the Middle East suffer from
the lack of peace?”.

The full text of the letter is
published here below:

“Dear brothers and sisters: 'Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so
that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction, with
the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God'.

When I thought of writing to you, our
Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East, these words of
Saint Paul immediately came to mind. I write to you just before
Christmas, knowing that for many of you the music of your Christmas
hymns will also be accompanied by tears and sighs. Nonetheless, the
birth of the Son of God in our human flesh is an indescribable
mystery of consolation: 'For the grace of God has appeared for the
salvation of all people'.

Sadly, afflictions and tribulations
have not been lacking, even more recently, in the Middle East. They
have been aggravated in the past months because of the continuing
hostilities in the region, but especially because of the work of a
newer and disturbing terrorist organisation, of previously
unimaginable dimensions, which has perpetrated all kinds of abuses
and inhuman acts. It has particularly affected a number of you, who
have been brutally driven out of your native lands, where Christians
have been present since apostolic times.

Nor, in writing to you, can I remain
silent about the members of other religious and ethnic groups who are
also experiencing persecution and the effects of these conflicts.
Every day I follow the new reports of the enormous suffering endured
by many people in the Middle East. I think in particular of the
children, the young mothers, the elderly, the homeless and all
refugees, the starving and those facing the prospect of a hard winter
without an adequate shelter. This suffering cries out to God and it
calls for our commitment to prayer and concrete efforts to help in
any way possible. I want to express to all of you my personal
closeness and solidarity, as well as that of the whole Church, and to
offer you a word of consolation and hope.

Dear brothers and sisters who
courageously bear witness to Jesus in the land blessed by the Lord,
our consolation and our hope is Christ himself. I encourage you,
then, to remain close to him, like branches on the vine, in the
certainty that no tribulation, distress or persecution can separate
us from him. May the trials which you are presently enduring
strengthen the faith and the fidelity of each and all of you.

I pray that you will be able to
experience a fraternal communion modelled on that of the first
community of Jerusalem. The unity willed by our Lord is more
necessary than ever at these difficult times; it is a gift from God,
who appeals to our freedom and awaits our response. May the word of
God, the sacraments, prayer and fellowship nourish and continually
renew your communities.

The situation in which are you living
is a powerful summons to holiness of life, as saints and martyrs of
every Christian community have attested. I think with affection and
veneration of the pastors and faithful who have lately been killed,
often merely for the fact that they were Christians. I think also of
those who have been kidnapped, including several Orthodox bishops and
priests of various rites. May they soon return, safe and sound, to
their homes and communities! I ask God to grant that all this
suffering united to the Lord’s cross will bring about much good for
the Church and for all the peoples in the Middle East.

In the midst of hostility and
conflicts, the communion which you experience in fraternity and
simplicity is a sign of God’s Kingdom. I am gratified by the good
relations and cooperation which exist between the patriarchs of the
Eastern Catholic Churches and those of the Orthodox Churches, and
also between the faithful of the different Churches. The sufferings
which Christians endure contribute immensely to the cause of unity.
It is the ecumenism of blood, which demands a trusting abandonment to
the working of the Holy Spirit.

May you always bear witness to Jesus
amid your difficulties! Your very presence is precious for the Middle
East. You are a small flock, but one with a great responsibility in
the land where Christianity was born and first spread. You are like
leaven in the dough. Even more than the many contributions which the
Church makes in the areas of education, healthcare and social
services, which are esteemed by all, the greatest source of
enrichment in the region is the presence of Christians themselves,
your presence. Thank you for your perseverance!

Your efforts to cooperate with people
of other religions, with Jews and Muslims, is another sign of the
Kingdom of God. The more difficult the situation, the more
interreligious dialogue becomes necessary. There is no other way.
Dialogue, grounded in an attitude of openness, in truth and love, is
also the best antidote to the temptation to religious fundamentalism,
which is a threat for followers of every religion. At the same time,
dialogue is a service to justice and a necessary condition for the
peace which all so ardently desire.

The majority of you live in
environments which are predominantly Muslim. You can help your Muslim
fellow citizens to present with discernment a more authentic image of
Islam, as so many of them desire, reiterating that Islam is a
religion of peace, one which is compatible with respect for human
rights and favours peaceful coexistence on the part of all. This will
prove beneficial for them and for all society. The tragic situation
faced by our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq, as well as by
the Yazidi and members of other religious and ethnic communities,
demands that all religious leaders clearly speak out to condemn these
crimes unanimously and unambiguously, and to denounce the practice of
invoking religion in order to justify them.

Dear brothers and sisters, almost all
of you are native citizens of your respective countries, and as such
you have the duty and the right to take full part in the life and
progress of your nations. Within the region you are called to be
artisans of peace, reconciliation and development, to promote
dialogue, to build bridges in the spirit of the Beatitudes, and to
proclaim the Gospel of peace, in a spirit of ready cooperation with
all national and international authorities.

In a special way I would like to
express my esteem and gratitude to you, dear brother patriarchs,
bishops, priests, and men and women religious, who accompany the
journey of your communities with loving concern. How valuable is the
presence and work of those completely consecrated to the Lord,
serving him in their brothers and sisters, especially those in
greatest need, and thus witnessing to his grandeur and his infinite
love! How important is the presence of pastors in the midst of their
flocks, especially in times of trouble!

To the young I send a paternal embrace.
I pray for your faithfulness, your human and Christian development,
and the attainment of your hopes and dreams. I repeat to you: 'Do not
be afraid or ashamed to be Christian. Your relationship with Jesus
will help you to cooperate generously with your fellow citizens,
whatever their religious affiliation'.

To the elderly I express my respect and
esteem. You are the memory of your peoples. I pray that this memory
will become a seed which can grow and benefit generations yet to
come.

I wish to encourage all of you who work
in the very important fields of charity and education. I admire the
work you do, especially through Caritas and other Catholic charitable
organisations in the different countries, in providing help to anyone
who asks, without discrimination. Through this witness of charity you
help support the life of society and you contribute to the peace for
which the region hungers as if for bread. Education too is critical
for the future of society. How important it is for promoting the
culture of encounter, respect for the dignity of each person and the
absolute value of every human being!

Dear brothers and sisters, even though
you may not be numerous, you play a significant role in the Church
and in the countries where you live. The entire Church is close to
you and supports you, with immense respect and affection for your
communities and your mission. We will continue to assist you with our
prayers and with every other means at our disposal.

At the same time I continue to urge the
international community to address your needs and those of other
suffering minorities, above all by promoting peace through
negotiation and diplomacy, for the sake of stemming and stopping as
soon as possible the violence which has already caused so much harm.
I once more condemn in the strongest possible terms the traffic of
arms. Instead, what are needed are plans and initiatives for peace,
so as to further a global solution to the region’s problems. How
much longer must the Middle East suffer from the lack of peace? We
must not resign ourselves to conflicts as if change were not
possible! In the spirit of my pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the
subsequent prayer meeting in the Vatican with the Israeli and
Palestinian presidents, I encourage you to continue to pray for peace
in the Middle East. May those forced to leave their lands be able to
return and to live in dignity and security. May humanitarian aid
increase and always have as its central concern the good of each
individual and each country, respecting their identity and without
any other agendas. May the entire Church and the international
community become ever more conscious of the importance of your
presence in the region.

Dear Christian brothers and sisters of
the Middle East, you have an enormous responsibility and in meeting
it you are not alone. That is why I wanted to write to you, to
encourage you and to let you know how precious your presence and your
mission are in the land which the Lord has blessed. Your witness
means much to me! Thank you! I pray for you and your intentions
every day. I thank you because I know that, amid your sufferings, you
also pray for me and for my service to the Church. I do hope to have
the chance to come to you in person and to visit and to comfort you.
May the Virgin Mary, the All-Holy Mother of God and our Mother,
accompany you and protect you always with her tender love. To all of
you and your families I impart my Apostolic Blessing, and I pray that
your celebration of Christmas will be filled with the love and peace
of Christ our Saviour”.

Vatican City, 23 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Vatican Information Service wishes its readers a happy and holy
Christmas. During the Christmas holiday there will be no VIS bulletin
from 24 to 28 December. The next bulletin will be transmitted on
Monday 29 December.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Vatican City, 22 December 2014 (VIS) –
This morning in the Clementine Hall the Holy Father held his annual
meeting with the Roman Curia to exchange Christmas greetings with the
members of its component dicasteries, councils, offices, tribunals
and commissions. “It is good to think of the Roman Curia as a small
model of the Church, that is, a body that seeks, seriously and on a
daily basis, to be more alive, healthier, more harmonious and more
united in itself and with Christ”.

“The Curia is always required to
better itself and to grow in communion, sanctity and wisdom to fully
accomplish its mission. However, like any body, it is exposed to
sickness, malfunction and infirmity. … I would like to mention some
of these illnesses that we encounter most frequently in our life in
the Curia. They are illnesses and temptations that weaken our service
to the Lord”, continued the Pontiff, who after inviting all those
present to an examination of conscience to prepare themselves for
Christmas, listed the most common Curial ailments:

The first is “the sickness of
considering oneself 'immortal', 'immune' or 'indispensable',
neglecting the necessary and habitual controls. A Curia that is not
self-critical, that does not stay up-to-date, that does not seek to
better itself, is an ailing body. … It is the sickness of the rich
fool who thinks he will live for all eternity, and of those who
transform themselves into masters and believe themselves superior to
others, rather than at their service”.

The second is “'Martha-ism', or
excessive industriousness; the sickness of those who immerse
themselves in work, inevitably neglecting 'the better part' of
sitting at Jesus' feet. Therefore, Jesus required his disciples to
rest a little, as neglecting the necessary rest leads to stress and
agitation. Rest, once one who has brought his or her mission to a
close, is a necessary duty and must be taken seriously: in spending a
little time with relatives and respecting the holidays as a time for
spiritual and physical replenishment, it is necessary to learn the
teaching of Ecclesiastes, that 'there is a time for everything'”.

Then there is “the sickness of mental
and spiritual hardening: that of those who, along the way, lose their
inner serenity, vivacity and boldness and conceal themselves behind
paper, becoming working machines rather than men of God. … It is
dangerous to lose the human sensibility necessary to be able to weep
with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! It is the
sickness of those who lose those sentiments that were present in
Jesus Christ”.

“The ailment of excessive planning
and functionalism: this is when the apostle plans everything in
detail and believes that, by perfect planning things effectively
progress, thus becoming a sort of accountant. … One falls prey to
this sickness because it is easier and more convenient to settle into
static and unchanging positions. Indeed, the Church shows herself to
be faithful to the Holy Spirit to the extent that she does not seek
to regulate or domesticate it. The Spirit is freshness, imagination
and innovation”.

The “sickness of poor coordination
develops when the communion between members is lost, and the body
loses its harmonious functionality and its temperance, becoming an
orchestra of cacophony because the members do not collaborate and do
not work with a spirit of communion or as a team”.

“Spiritual Alzheimer's disease, or
rather forgetfulness of the history of Salvation, of the personal
history with the Lord, of the 'first love': this is a progressive
decline of spiritual faculties, that over a period of time causes
serious handicaps, making one incapable of carrying out certain
activities autonomously, living in a state of absolute dependence on
one's own often imaginary views. We see this is those who have lost
their recollection of their encounter with the Lord … in those who
build walls around themselves and who increasingly transform into
slaves to the idols they have sculpted with their own hands”.

“The ailment of rivalry and
vainglory: when appearances, the colour of one's robes, insignia and
honours become the most important aim in life. … It is the disorder
that leads us to become false men and women, living a false
'mysticism' and a false 'quietism'”.

Then there is “existential
schizophrenia: the sickness of those who live a double life, fruit of
the hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and the progressive spiritual
emptiness that cannot be filled by degrees or academic honours. This
ailment particularly afflicts those who, abandoning pastoral service,
limit themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with
reality and with real people. They create a parallel world of their
own, where they set aside everything they teach with severity to
others and live a hidden, often dissolute life”.

The sickness of “chatter, grumbling
and gossip: this is a serious illness that begins simply, often just
in the form of having a chat, and takes people over, turning them
into sowers of discord, like Satan, and in many cases cold-blooded
murderers of the reputations of their colleagues and brethren. It is
the sickness of the cowardly who, not having the courage to speak
directly to the people involved, instead speak behind their backs”.

“The sickness of deifying leaders is
typical of those who court their superiors, with the hope of
receiving their benevolence. They are victims of careerism and
opportunism, honouring people rather than God. They are people who
experience service thinking only of what they might obtain and not of
what they should give. They are mean, unhappy and inspired only by
their fatal selfishness”.

“The disease of indifference towards
others arises when each person thinks only of himself, and loses the
sincerity and warmth of personal relationships. When the most expert
does not put his knowledge to the service of less expert colleagues;
when out of jealousy … one experiences joy in seeing another person
instead of lifting him up or encouraging him”.

“The illness of the funereal face: or
rather, that of the gruff and the grim, those who believe that in
order to be serious it is necessary to paint their faces with
melancholy and severity, and to treat others – especially those
they consider inferior – with rigidity, hardness and arrogance. In
reality, theatrical severity and sterile pessimism are often symptoms
of fear and insecurity”.

“The disease of accumulation: when
the apostle seeks to fill an existential emptiness of the heart by
accumulating material goods, not out of necessity but simply to feel
secure. … Accumulation only burdens and inexorably slows down our
progress”.

“The ailment of closed circles: when
belonging to a group becomes stronger than belonging to the Body and,
in some situations, to Christ Himself. This sickness too may start
from good intentions but, as time passes, enslaves members and
becomes a 'cancer' that threatens the harmony of the Body and causes
a great deal of harm – scandals – especially to our littlest
brothers”.

Then, there is the “disease of
worldly profit and exhibitionism: when the apostle transforms his
service into power, and his power into goods to obtain worldly
profits or more power. This is the disease of those who seek
insatiably to multiply their power and are therefore capable of
slandering, defaming and discrediting others, even in newspapers and
magazines, naturally in order to brag and to show they are more
capable than others”.

After listing these ailments, Pope
Francis continued, “We are therefore required, at this Christmas
time and in all the time of our service and our existence – to live
'speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him
who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and
held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each
part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds
itself up in love'”.

“I once read that priests are like
aeroplanes: they only make the news when they crash, but there are
many that fly. Many criticise them and few pray for them”, he
concluded. “It is a very nice phrase, but also very true, as it
expresses the importance and the delicacy of our priestly service,
and how much harm just one priest who falls may cause to the whole
body of the Church”.

Vatican City, 22 December 2014 (VIS) –
This morning Pope Francis met with employees of the Holy See, whom he
thanked fervently for their work during the last year. He dedicated
some special words to the Italians present, as “during all the
history of the Church and the Roman Curia they have worked regularly
with a generous and faithful spirit, placing at the service of the
Holy See and Peter's Successor their unique laboriousness and filial
devotion, offering the Church great Saints, Popes, martyrs,
missionaries and artists that no passing cloud in history will be
able to obscure”. He also thanked workers from other countries,
“who generously work in the Curia, far from their homelands and
their families, representing for the Curia the face of the Church's
'Catholicity'”.

The Pope encouraged those present to
consider a text that he had mentioned in his discourse to the Roman
Curia shortly beforehand, treating it as a “starting point for a
fruitful examination of conscience in preparation for the Holy
Nativity and the New Year. He exhorted them to receive the Sacrament
of Confession “with a docile heart, to receive the mercy of the
Lord, who knocks on the door of our heart, in the joy of the family”.

Francis emphasised the word “care”
and explained that “caring means manifesting diligent and
thoughtful interest, that directs our heart and our activities
towards someone or something; it means looking with attention to
those who are in need of care without thinking of anything else; it
means accepting to give or receive care”. To “transform this Holy
Nativity into a true opportunity to heal every wound and every lack”,
he urged those present to take care of their spiritual life, their
relationship with God, and to look after their family life and
relationships with others. This means caring about one's way of
speaking, purifying language of offensive words; healing the wounds
of the heart with the oil of forgiveness; caring for one's work,
performing it with enthusiasm, humility and passion; curing oneself
of envy, lust, hatred and the negative feelings that devour our inner
peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people; curing
oneself of the rancour that leads us to revenge and the idleness that
leads to existential euthanasia. Caring for the poorest, the elderly,
the sick, the hungry, the homeless and foreigners, and making sure
that the Holy Nativity never becomes a celebration of commercial
consumerism, appearances and pointless gifts, or superfluous waste,
but rather of the joy of welcoming the Lord into the creche of the
heart”.

“Imagine how our world would change
if each one of us began straight away”, he remarked. “This is the
true Nativity: the feast of the poverty of the God Who annihilated
Himself, assuming the nature of a slave; of God Who served at the
table; of God Who hid Himself from the intelligent and the wise and
instead revealed Himself to the smallest, the simple and the poor. It
is above all the feast of Peace brought to earth by the baby Jesus, …
the peace the Angels sang”. He continued, “Peace needs our
enthusiasm, our care, to warm our frozen hearts, to encourage
distrusting souls and to brighten jaded eyes with the light of Jesus'
face”.

The Pope concluded by asking
forgiveness for his shortcomings, and those of his colleagues, and
also for the various scandals “that do a great deal of damage”,
he commented. “Forgive me and, please, pray for me”.

Vatican City, 21 December 2014 (VIS) –
On the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, with Christmas just around
the corner, the Gospel narrates the Angel's annunciation to Mary and
the Virgin's “yes” that made possible the Incarnation, the
revelation of a mystery “enveloped in silence for eternity”.
Before this morning's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis addressed the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, focusing on two essential
aspects of Mary's attitude as a model to prepare for Christmas.

The first is her faith, which consists
of listening to the Word of God in order to surrender herself
entirely to it, with full willingness of both mind and heart. “In
her 'yes', full of faith, Mary does not know which road she will have
to embark upon, how much pain she will have to suffer, what risks she
will run. But she is aware that it is the Lord Who asks her to
entrust herself entirely to Him, and she surrenders herself to His
love. This is Mary's faith”.

“Another aspect is the capacity of
the Mother of Christ to recognise the time of God. Mary teaches us to
seize the favourable moment in which Jesus passes into our life and
asks for a prompt and generous response”.

“And Jesus passes”, added the Pope,
“because the mystery of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, which
historically took place more than two thousand years ago, occurs as a
spiritual event on the 'today' of the Liturgy. The Word, that finds a
home in the virginal womb of Mary, during the celebration of the
Nativity calls out to the heart of every Christian; it passes, and
knocks on the door. Each one of us is called to answer, like Mary,
with a personal and sincere 'yes', placing ourselves entirely at the
disposal of God and His mercy, His love”.

“How many times does Jesus pass into
our lives!”, he exclaimed. “And how many times he sends us an
angel, and how often we do not realise, because we are too
preoccupied, immersed in our thoughts, in our affairs and even, these
days, in our preparations for Christmas, to realise that He passes
and knocks at the door of our heart, asking for welcome, asking for a
'yes', like that of Mary”.

“A saint once said, 'I am afraid that
the Lord will pass'. Do you know why he was afraid? He was afraid he
would not welcome Him, that he would let Him pass by. When we feel in
our heart, 'I would like to be a better person', “I feel remorse
for doing that”, it is the Lord Who is calling. He makes you feel
this: the wish to be better, the wish to stay closer to others and to
God. If you feel this, then stop. It is the Lord Who is there! And
pray, perhaps go to Confession, to clean up a little … this does
you good. But keep in mind: if you feel this desire to improve, it is
He Who is calling: do not let Him pass by”.

Francis also recalled, in the mystery
of the Nativity, the silent presence of Joseph and emphasised the
example that he and Mary offer as an invitation to receive with total
openness the Lord Jesus, “who for love made Himself into our
brother, and came to bring light to the world”, as the angels
proclaimed to the shepherds: 'on earth peace, good will toward men'”.

“The precious gift of Christmas is
peace”, he concluded. “Christ, Who is our true peace, calls to
our hearts to give us peace, the peace of the soul. Let us open the
doors to Christ”.

Vatican City, 20 December 2014 (VIS) –
Today in the Paul VI Hall the Holy Father received 7,500 members of
the Community of John Paul XXIII, founded by the Italian priest
Oreste Benzi in 1968. The association, currently present in 34
countries, is concerned with situations of marginalisation and
poverty and promotes the non-violent removal of the root causes. It
follows the principle of sharing of life in a number of contexts:
minors and young people in difficult conditions, the disabled,
detainees, itinerant communities, drug users, alcoholics, those
without fixed abode, the elderly, the sick, mothers with problems and
women forced into prostitution.

During the audience, various members of
the Community narrated to the Pope their experiences, which as
Francis said, spoke of “slavery and liberation, of the selfishness
of those who imagine they can build up their lives by exploiting
others and taking advantage of the generosity of those who help
others to rise up from material and moral degradation. They are
experiences that shed light on the many forms of poverty that
unfortunately afflict our world, and they reveal the most dangerous
misery of all, the cause of all others: distance from God, the
presumption of being able to do without Him. This is the blind misery
of those who believe that the aim of their existence is material
wealth, the pursuit of power and pleasure, and the enslavement of the
lives of others to these objectives”.

“Yes, my friends, it is the presence
of the Lord that makes the difference between the freedom of good and
the slavery of evil … it broadens horizons … and gives us the
strength necessary to overcome difficulties and obstacles. … Faith,
indeed, moves the mountains of indifference and apathy, of
disinterest and sterile self-centredness. … Faith opens the doors
of charity … giving us the courage to act according to the example
of the Good Samaritan. Fr. Oresti Benzi, the founder of your
association, understood this well. His love for the least and for the
poor, for the excluded and the abandoned, was rooted in his love for
Jesus crucified, Who made Himself poor for us. … From the mission
of involving adolescents and encouraging their interest in the figure
of Jesus, there was born the idea of organising for them a vital and
radical encounter with Him as a hero and friend, through testimonies
of life, fully demonstrating the Christian message, but in a joyful
or even joking fashion”.

“In this way your community was born,
now present in 34 countries with its family-houses, its social and
educational cooperatives, its houses of prayer, services for
accompanying difficult motherhood and other initiatives”, continued
the Pope. “Providence has enabled you to grow, demonstrating the
vitality of the charism of your Founder, who liked to say that “to
get onto your feet, you need to kneel first”.

Pope Francis concluded by inviting
those present to be attentive to their spiritual formation, and to
partake frequently of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, as
“it fills the heart with the love for God that is the wellspring of
charity towards our brothers and sisters”.

- appointed Bishop Benjamin Ndiaye of
Kaolack, Senegal, as archbishop of Dakar (area 4,803, population
3,677,000, Catholics 455,000, priests 168, religious 645), Senegal.
He succeeds Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr, whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was
accepted by the Holy Father.

- accepted the resignation from the
office of auxiliary of the diocese of Basel, Switzerland, presented
by Bishop Martin Gachter upon reaching the age limit.

- erected the new diocese of
Kuzhithurai (area 915, population 855,485, Catholics 264,222, priests
131, religious 269) India, with territory taken from the diocese of
Kottar, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Madurai.
He appointed Fr. Jerome Dhas Varuvel, S.D.B., as first bishop of the
new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Paduvoor, India in 1951,
gave his perpetual vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1985.
He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and theology, and a
licentiate in education from the Pontifical Salesian University,
Rome, and has served in a number of roles, including vice rector of
the novitiate in Vellakinar, rector of the pre-novitiate in
Tirupattur and Maiyam, dean of the Salesian student body in Trichy,
parish priest and rector of the con-Cathedral of Madras-Mylapore,
provincial counsellor, director of Kalvi Solai in Tirupattur and in
Ennore, and director of Mount Don Bosco in Thalavadi. He is currently
master of novices in Yeallagiri Hills, Vellore.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Vatican City, 19 December 2014 (VIS) –
This morning in the Clementine Hall the Pope received delegations
from the Italian provinces of Verona and Catanzaro, which provided
the Nativity scene with its terracotta figures and the Christmas tree
that are decorating St. Peter's Square during the festive season this
year, and which will be illuminated before the public this evening.

“Christian values have enriched the
culture, literature, music and art of your lands, and today such
values continue to constitute a valuable heritage to be preserved and
transmitted to future generations”, he said. “The Nativity and
the Christmas tree are evocative festive symbols very dear to our
Christian families: they recall the mystery of the Incarnation, the
only begotten Son of God, made flesh in order to save us, and the
light that Jesus has brought to the world through His birth. But the
creche and the tree touch the hearts of all, as they speak of
fraternity, intimacy and friendship, calling to people of our time to
rediscover the beauty of simplicity, sharing and solidarity. They are
an invitation to unity, harmony and peace; an invitation to make
room, in our personal and social life, for God, Who does not come
with arrogance, imposing His power, but instead offers His omnipotent
love through the fragile figure of a Child. The creche and the tree
therefore bring a message of light, hope, and love”.

“The Messiah made Himself man and
came among us, to dispel the shadows of error and sin, bringing His
divine light to humanity. Jesus Himself says of Himself: 'I am the
light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness
but will have the light of life'. Let us follow Him, the true light,
so as not to lose our way and in turn to reflect light and warmth on
those who go through moments of difficulty and inner darkness”.

Vatican City, 19 December 2014 (VIS) –
The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) celebrates its
centenary this year. This morning around five thousand managers and
athletes from the Committee attended a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica,
after which Pope Francis addressed a brief discourse to them. “In
our times sport is the home of the Church, and this meeting is the
proof of this: we celebrate together your centenary, an important
anniversary for Italian sport”, he said.

The Holy Father commented that for one
hundred years the CONI has promoted and organised sport in Italy not
only in relation to the great global event that is the Modern
Olympics, but also focusing on the popular, social, educational and
cultural dimensions. “It does this taking inspiration from the
principles of the Olympic Charter, that places among its main aims
the centrality of the person, the harmonious development of humanity,
the defence of human dignity, and, moreover, the contribution to a
better world, without wars or tension, educating the young through
sport practised without discrimination of any type, in a spirit of
friendship, solidarity and fair play”.

“Sport has always promoted
universalism characterised by fraternity and friendship among
peoples, accord and peace between nations; respect, tolerance, and
harmony in diversity”, he added. “Every sporting event,
especially Olympic ones, in which representatives of nations with
different histories, cultures, traditions, faiths and values compete,
can be come a channel for an ideal strength able to open up new
paths, at times unexpected, in overcoming conflicts caused by the
violation of human rights”.

The Olympic motto, “Citius, altius,
fortius”, “is not an incitement to the supremacy of one nation
over another, of one people over another people, nor of the exclusion
of the weakest and least protected, but rather represents the
challenge posed to all of us, not just athletes: that of making the
effort and the sacrifice to reach the important goals in life,
accepting one's own limits without allowing oneself to be obstructed
by them, but seeking instead to overcome them”.

The Holy Father encouraged the members
of CONI to continue their work in schools, in the world of work and
in solidarity “to promote a sport that is accessible to all,
mindful of the weakest and of the most precarious sectors of society;
an inclusive sport for the differently-abled, foreigners, those who
live in peripheries and are in need of meeting places, sociality,
sharing and play; a sport that aims not at being 'useful', but at the
development of the human person, in a gratuitous fashion”.

Finally, Francis remarked that CONI was
the first national Olympic committee – whose example was later
followed by others – to include an Olympic chaplain in its
organisation. “It is a friendly presence to demonstrate the
closeness of the Church and to stimulate in sports people a strong
sense of spiritual training. Indeed, there are certain words typical
of sport that can be used to refer to spiritual life. The saints
understood this, and knew how to interpret passion, enthusiasm,
constancy, determination, challenge and limits, looking beyond
themselves, towards the horizon of God”.

- Archbishop Georges Pontier of
Marseilles, France, president of the Conference of Bishops of France,
accompanied by Bishop Pascal Delannoy of Saint-Denis, vice president,
and Msgr. Olivier Ribadeau, general secretary.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Vatican
City, 18 December 2014
(VIS) -This morning in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace,
the Holy Father received in audience the ambassadors of the following
nations, presenting their Credential Letters:

-
Mr. Vaanchig Purevdorj of Mongolia,

-
Mr. Sean Mcweeney, Q.C., of The Bahamas,

-
Mr. Edward D.A. Lambert of Dominica,

-
Mr. Philip Sang’ka Marmo of Tanzania,

-
Mrs. Louise Bang Jespersen of Denmark,

-
Mr. Dato’ Mohd Zulkephli Bin Mohd Noor of Malaysia,

-
Dr. Francois Xavier Ngarambe of Rwanda,

-
Mr. Jari Petteri Luoto of Finland,

-
Mrs. Janet Lowe of New Zealand,

-
Sheikh Mouclary Diarra of Mali,

-
Mr. Kokou Nayo Atsumikoa M’Beou of Togo,

-
Mr. Shameem Ahsan of Bangladesh, and,

-
Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser bin Ahmad Ali Al-Thani of Qatar.

The
Holy Father welcomed the new ambassadors with the following words: “I
warmly welcome you and hope that every time you enter this house that
you feel at home. I extend our welcome and respect for you and for
your peoples and the heads of your governments. I greet you and wish
your work to be fruitful, to be fertile. The work of an ambassador
lies in small steps, small things, but they always end up making
peace, bringing closer the hearts of people, sowing brotherhood among
peoples. This is your job, but with little things, tiny things. Today
we are all happy because we have seen how two peoples, distanced for
so many years, made a step nearer one another yesterday. That was
brought about by ambassadors, by diplomacy. Your job is noble work,
very noble. I wish it to be fruitful, fertile, and may God bless you.
Thank you.”

Vatican
City, 18 December 2014
(VIS) – Official dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics has been
in place for almost 50 years and the progress made in this half
century “constitutes a solid foundation for sincere friendship
lived in faith and spirituality,” Pope Francis said this morning on
receiving a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Germany on an ecumenical visit to Rome.

Despite
theological differences that persist in various issues of the faith,
collaboration and fraternal coexistence characterize the life of our
churches and ecclesial communities, which are committed to a common
ecumenical journey and joint documents. One such text was the “Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” between the Lutheran
World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity, which was officially signed fifteen years ago in Augsburg.
“These are,” Pope Francis said, “important milestones that
allow us to confidently continue along the path undertaken.”

Although
the common goal of full and visible unity of Christians sometimes
seems to become more difficult to achieve because of different
interpretations regarding the church and its unity, we must not give
in to resignation but concentrate on the next possible step. “Do
not forget,” the Pope stressed, “that we are walking together the
path of friendship, mutual respect, and theological research. It is a
path that makes us look with hope to the future. That is why, this
past 21 November, bells of all the cathedrals in Germany rang to
invite all Christian brothers and sisters to a common liturgical
service for the fiftieth anniversary of the promulgation of Unitatis
Redintegratio, the Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism.”

The
Holy Father expressed his satisfaction that the Commission on
Bilateral Dialogue between the German Bishops' Conference and the
German Evangelical Lutheran Church is about to finish its work
dedicated to “God and the Dignity of Man”. He emphasized the
relevance of “issues related to the dignity of the human person at
the beginning and end of life, as well as those related to family,
marriage, and sexuality, which cannot be excluded or left to the side
just because one doesn't want to endanger the ecumenical consensus
reached thus far. It would be a shame if new confessional differences
arose in such important topics related to human existence.”

“Ecumenical
dialogue today can no longer be separated from the reality and the
life of our churches. In 2017, Lutheran and Catholic Christians will
jointly commemorate the 500th anniversary of the
Reformation. On that occasion, Lutherans and Catholics around the
world will, for the first time, have the opportunity to share the
same ecumenical commemoration, not in the form of a triumphalistic
celebration, but as the profession of our common faith in the Triune
God. At the center of this event, therefore, there will be common
prayer and the plea that our Lord Jesus Christ pardon for our mutual
faults, along with the joy of journeying together on a shared
ecumenical path. This meaningfully references the document produced
by the Lutheran-Catholic Commission for Unity published last year
entitled “From Conflict to Communion: The Joint Lutheran-Catholic
Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017”. May this commemoration
of the Reformation encourage us all to carry out, with God's help and
the support of his Spirit, further steps towards unity and to not
just limit ourselves to what we have already achieved!”

Vatican
City, 18 December 2014
(VIS) - “I have heard that this year you are working on a theme
with the slogan 'Everything to Discover'. It's a beautiful journey,
one which requires courage and the hard work of exploring to then
rejoice when the plan that Jesus has for each of us is discovered.”
This is what Pope Frances told the youth of Catholic Action Italy
this morning when he met with them in the Vatican. Regarding their
theme, especially the word “everything”, the Holy Father offered
some advice for “walking well in Catholic Action, in your family,
and in your communities”.

“Never
give up,” he said, “because what Jesus thought for your path is
something to be built together: together with your parents, your
brothers and sisters, and your friends from school, from catechism,
from your parishes, and from Catholic Action. Concern yourselves with
the needs of the poorest, those suffering the most, and those who are
most lonely because whoever has chosen to love Jesus cannot not love
their neighbor. Your journey in Catholic Action, therefore, will
become total love.”

The
Pope asked them not to forget the Church and her priests, and to put
themselves at the service of their community, “because the Church
is not just priests and bishops, but the entire community. So put
yourselves at the service of the community. Give of your time,
energy, personal qualities and skills in your parishes and thus bear
witness that the wealth of each is a gift from God that should be
fully shared.” He also encouraged them to be apostles of peace and
serenity starting with their families. Remind your parents, siblings,
and peers that it is beautiful to love one another and that
misunderstandings can be overcome because, united to Jesus,
everything is possible.” To that end, Pope Francis encouraged them
to talk to Jesus in prayer. “He is your best friend who will never
abandon you. Entrust your joys and sorrows to Him. Turn to Him any
time you make a mistake or do something wrong. You can be sure that
He will forgive you. And speak to all of Jesus, of his love, his
mercy, his tenderness, because friendship with Jesus—who gave
himself for us—is an event that must be told.”

Finally,
he emphasized that “with the grace of his birth, Jesus wants to
help us take a stronger, safer, and happier step toward being his
disciples” and that it only takes a few words, which our Mother,
the Virgin, teaches us; the words of her response to the Lord's call;
“Here I am.”

Vatican
City, 18 December 2014
(VIS) - The following is the full text of a communique published
yesterday afternoon by the Governorate of Vatican City State.

“The
Holy Father wishes to express his warm congratulations for the
historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of
America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of
overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the
difficulties which have marked their recent history.”

“In
recent months, Pope Francis wrote letters to the President of the
Republic of Cuba, His Excellency Mr Raul Castro, and the President of
the United States, The Honorable Barack Obama, and invited them to
resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the
situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in
relations between the two parties.”

“The
Holy See received delegations of the two countries in the Vatican
last October and provided its good offices to facilitate a
constructive dialogue on delicate matters, resulting in solutions
acceptable to both parties.”

“The
Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which
both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations
and promote the well-being of their respective citizens.”

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Vatican City, 17 December 2014 (VIS) –
The family is the “great gift that the Lord has given to the world
ever since the beginning, when he entrusted to Adam and Eve the
mission of multiplying and filling the earth; the gift that Jesus
confirmed and sealed in His Gospel”, said the Holy Father during
this Wednesday's general audience, in the first of the new cycle of
catechesis dedicated to the family, which will continue throughout
the coming year.

The proximity to Christmas illuminates
the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, which opens a new
chapter in the universal history of man and woman. “And this new
beginning occurs within a family, in Nazareth. He could have come
spectacularly, or as a warrior, an emperor… No – he came as the
son of a family, in a family”, he emphasised.

God chose to be born “in a human
family, that He Himself had formed. He created this family in a
remote village in the outer reaches of the Roman Empire. Not in Rome,
the capital of the Empire, not in a great city, but in an almost
invisible and somewhat notorious periphery. This is even noted in the
Gospel, almost as if it were a turn of phrase: 'Can anything good
come out of Nazareth?'. Perhaps, in many parts of the world, we too
still speak in this way when we hear the name of certain peripheral
areas of large cities. And yet, it was precisely there, in the
outskirts of the great Empire, that there began the most holy and
good story of Jesus among mankind”.

“Jesus chose to remain in the
periphery for thirty years, during which there is no mention of
miracles or healing, of preaching, of crowds who run after him. In
Nazareth, everything seems to happen 'normally', according to the
habits of a pious and hard-working family of Israelites. … The
Gospels, in their sobriety, say nothing of Jesus' adolescence and
leave this task to our affectionate imaginings. Art, literature and
music have followed the path of the imagination. Certainly, it is not
difficult to imagine how much mothers could learn from Mary's tender
care for her Son! And how much fathers could benefit from the example
of Joseph, a righteous man, who dedicated his life to supporting and
defending his wife and child – is family – through difficult
times. To say nothing of how much the young could be encouraged by
the adolescent Jesus in understanding the necessity and beauty of
cultivating their deepest vocation, and of having great dreams”, he
added.

“Every Christian family – as Mary
and Joseph did – must first welcome Jesus, listen to Him, speak
with Him, shelter Him, protect Him, grow with Him; and in this way,
make the world better. Let us make space in our heart and in our days
for the Lord. This is what Mary and Joseph did, and it was not easy:
how many difficulties they had to overcome! It was not a false or
unreal family. The family of Nazareth calls to us to rediscover the
vocation and the mission of the family, of every family. And so what
happened in those thirty years in Nazareth can also happen to us:
making love, not hate, normal; mutual help common, instead of
indifference and hostility. It is not by chance that Nazareth means
'she who preserves', like Mary who, as the Gospel tells us,
'treasured all these things in her heart'. From then on, whenever
there is a family that preserves this mystery, even if it should be
at the outer reaches of the world, the mystery of the Son of God is
at work. And He comes to save the world”.